To Be A Genius or Not To Be A Genius
by Muse2488
Summary: You'd think that a genius would be able to make better choices...but even geniuses make mistakes. Donatello happens to make quite a big one. Good thing he has his brother's to rely on. Brotherly Fluff awaits all who read this!


**A/N: Alright so you guys have been absolutely amazing with your reviews and I appreciate it soooooo much! I've had a ton of requests to write more stories featuring our four favorite ninja's so I'm going to do just that! First one was Mikey, now I'm going to do a Donatello focus. Please read and review because I love them. Reviews are like chocolate, super addicting and great! =]]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles. At all. I'm trying not to cry about it. **

You know, for a genius, he can be pretty stupid at times. The moment he saw the shadowy figures making their way towards the lair he should've awoken all three of his brothers. But nooooooo, he thought he could handle it on his own, that it'd be super easy and he wouldn't need any help.

He was wrong.

Now, here he was lying on the cold cement floor unable to move. The thugs that had been trying to escape the cops had tried hiding down in the sewers. Donnie had crept stealthily out of the man hole and stopped the three robbers from going down the hole. Unfortunately, he wasn't as quick as Mikey is and he took three quick bullets to the thigh. The cops came barring down the road and that had forced the robbers to run away quickly, leaving Donatello to bleed in the streets. Donnie had rolled away just in time, concealing himself in the shadows against an old electronic store. He took a shaky breath in and released it, trying to quell the fear that was rising up in him. He shifted his leg slightly and cried out. The small movement hurt like hell!

"Way…to go…Donnie…" He berated himself through clenched teeth. He tore of his belt and took a deep breath in, preparing himself for even more intense pain. He needed to create a makeshift tourniquet to help stop the bleeding. He quickly wrapped the sash above the wound, pulling tight. Donatello clamped his mouth shut and screamed against his closed lips. The last thing he needed was to alert anyone of his presence. He panted for breath, waiting for the pain to subside at least a fraction, but no such relief came. The intensity of the pain stayed at that high point as Don scratched against the cement, bloodying his fingernails with the strength of it.

Don knew that he didn't have too much time before he passed out from the pain. He needed to call for help, but of course he'd left his cell phone on his desk. He was in the middle of an IT work call when the alarms in the lab had gone off. He quickly put the call on hold and didn't think twice about not getting back quick enough to resume his shift. He was close enough to the sewer lid that he could crawl down, but the lair was a good half mile through the sewer pipes and he wasn't so sure he could make that trek. Don moved his leg experimentally and hissed as pain shot through his entire leg. He took another deep breath and pulled himself across the road with only his arms. The cement scratched against his stomach and hands, bringing a small distraction away from his thigh. It took nearly ten minutes for him to crawl the twenty feet to the sewage lid. He was completely out of breath and unwanted tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep them from falling. The pain was gradually climbing and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay awake. He reached out a hand and pushed the lid out of his way. The exertion caused him to fall flat against the road yet again. His body was screaming for relief, for unconsciousness. He heard a scraping sound and his heart rate picked up as he thought of the thugs finding him and finishing the job they started. Don reflexively grabbed for his Bo, ready to strike.

"Donnie?! Raph! Leo! I found him!" An achingly familiar voice yelled. Don dropped his Bo and could help but smile tiredly at the sight of his little brother.

"Mikey…" Don breathed.

"Donnie, wh-what happened?" Mike asked as he saw his brother's belt wrapped tightly around his upper thigh.

"Got shot…by a couple…of thugs…"

"You got what?!" A new voice asked. Donatello looked up and saw his hot tempered brother glaring down at him. Despite the angry glance, Donnie could see the concern in his older brother's eyes.

"Shot Raph…I got shot…"

"How did this happen?" Leonardo asked as his face came into view.

"Saw some shadows…on the monitor…decided to go look…bad idea…" Donnie panted.

"Ya think? What's the matta with ya Donnie? Ya didn't think to wake us up?" Raph demanded.

"Thought…it'd be easy…" Donatello replied, his was quickly losing consciousness and Leo knew he needed to move quickly if they were going to get Donnie to safety.

"Raph, later. We need to get him home." Leo stated firmly.

Raph opened his mouth to argue, but for some reason decided against it. He bent down and grabbed Donnie's arm, wrapping it around his shoulders as he hoisted his purple banded brother up. Donatello cried out in pain and Mikey winced. He never wanted to hear that noise come out of his brother's mouth again.

The four turtles slowly made their way down the sewage pipe and back to the lair. Raph wasn't a hundred percent sure when it happened, but eventually Donnie lost consciousness. It actually made it easier since Raph stopped and then scooped the younger turtle into his arms, bridal style.

"You do know that if he was conscious he wouldn't let you do that right?" Leo asked with a wry smile on his face.

"Good thing he ain't awake then huh?" Raphael retorted.

"Awe dude, I wish I had a camera right now! You two look adorable!" Mikey gushed teasingly.

Raph growled low in his throat and threw a scathing look towards his youngest brother. "I'd shut up if I were ya Mikey."

Michelangelo just snickered and ran ahead of his brothers. They finally reached the lair and Mikey held the door open for the other three turtles, Master Splinter showing up behind Mikey and leading the four of them to the lab. Raphael gently placed Donatello on the medical table and stepped back.

"What do we do? Normally Donnie handles all this medical stuff." Mikey asked.

"I will tend to his wound." Master Splinter said.

"Do you know what he needs Sensei?" Leonardo asked.

"I have much knowledge in the art of medicine." Their father replied.

"What can we do to help?" Raphael asked.

"I need warm water, a rag, and the medical pliers Donatello uses." Master Splinter told his sons.

The three turtles immediately went to work in getting the items needed in order to help their brother. Raph placed the warm water on the table next to Splinter, while Leo and Mikey handed him the rag and pliers.

"Leonardo, will you please assist me?" Splinter asked.

"Of course Sensei." Leo replied as he walked over to his master.

"I need you to press the rag against the top part of his thigh please, while I remove the bullets." Master Splinter instructed.

Leo grabbed the rag and pressed into his younger brother's thigh with force. Suddenly, he felt his little brother stirring.

"Sensei…I think he's waking up!" Leo exclaimed.

"Raphael, please bring me the vial marked 'Morphine' and a syringe. I cannot do this while he is awake, the pain will be…unbearable." Master Splinter remarked.

Raphael went and did as he was told, bringing the needle and vial to his master. The older mutant placed the needle in the vial and withdrew the amount of medication needed to put his son into a deep enough sleep to finish what he needed. After injecting his son with the pain reliever he set to pulling the bullets out of his son's thigh. Leonardo held the wound open while Splinter worked. The first two bullets were rather easy to remove, but the third one was rather difficult. It took nearly ten minutes before Splinter was able to remove it completely. Raphael collected the bullets and put them in one of Don's petri dishes. Leonardo held the skin tightly together while Splinter sowed the gaping wound shut. It took seven stitches and six staples to keep the shut. Mikey wiped the wound with the warm water, washing off the bloodied limb.

"Is…is he going to be okay Sensei?" Mikey asked.

"I believe so Michelangelo. Luckily, you four heal very quickly." Master Splinter replied.

"What're we gonna do now?" Mikey asked.

"You are going to allow your brother to rest." Master Splinter answered, walking out of the lab and beckoning his sons to follow. Leo and Mikey followed obediently, Raph staying behind a second longer before following the rest of his family out.

OoOoOoO

Leonardo sat next to Donatello, trying to will him awake. It had been almost eight hours since they had finally removed the bullets from his little brother's leg. Master Splinter had wanted them to meditate and train to keep their minds off their worries, but nothing could keep Leo away from injured brother. After his usual hour meditation, Leo skipped dinner and went straight to the lab, Mikey and Raph following. It was now nearing midnight though and Raph and Mikey were slumped against one another sleeping soundly. Leo smiled fondly at them before turning his attention back to Donnie. Leo couldn't understand why his brother hadn't called him before going out to face a bunch of idiot thugs on his own. Donnie was normally so much smarter than that. This was more of a Raphael move. Leonardo could feel his anger climbing and he wanted to shake some sense into his supposed genius brother. He knew better than this, knew better than to go off on his own. Once Donnie opens his eyes he was soooooo going to get it.

"L-Leo…?" A tired voice called.

Leo turned his head and smiled softly. "How're you doing Donnie?"

"Ugh…I dunno yet…ask me again later…"

Leo chuckled. "Can do. You need anything?"

"Don't suppose I could get some water?" Don asked, his voice low and filled with pain.

"Sure thing." Leo said getting up and getting a glass of water. He brought over and Donnie tried to reach for it but couldn't quite get his arm up all the way. Leo pushed it softly back on the bed.

"No, no little brother. You just lie there and relax." Leo said as he brought the glass to Donnie's lips. Don rolled his eyes but gulped the cool water gratefully. Donatello sighed and relaxed against his pillows.

"So, what's the damage?" Donatello asked.

"Well, you got shot three times in the thigh, luckily each wound was close to the other and you only needed seven stitches and six staples." Leo said, a bit of irritation his voice. Don noticed the irritation and winced slightly.

"Uh…who fixed me up?"

"Mikey."

"What?!" Don cried.

Leo chuckled again. "Just kidding. Although I should've let him, what were you thinking Donnie?"

"I guess I wasn't."

"You bet your shell you weren't. I know you thought three of them wouldn't be too much for you to handle, but you never can tell when they'll have guns! You have to make better choices; part of being a true warrior is knowing when to ask for help." Leo lectured.

"I know Leo. I'm sorry." Donatello said, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. He truly was embarrassed by his actions. He normally does show better judgment; maybe the lack of sleep is what caused his temporary insanity.

"Are Mikey and Raph mad at me too?" Donnie asked, sounding all of four years old.

Leo sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Don…we aren't mad. We're just worried and confused as to why you didn't call us for help."

"I left my phone at my desk." Don mumbled.

"That's no excuse; you shouldn't have tried to take them on your own."

"I know Leo, I know." Don sighed, casting his eyes downwards with a look of embarrassment and shame.

Leo smiled wryly at him before tipping Donatello's chin up so that he was looking up at Leo again. "Just…never do that again, understand Donatello?"

"Yeah _Donatello_, never do that again." A mischievous voice said. Don looked over and saw Mikey getting to his feet. Raph was still slumped against the wall, slowly waking.

"You're one to talk, _Michelangelo_." Donnie snarked back.

"Hey, I was stabbed alright? And that was like, a million months ago. Besides, for a genius you sure were a shell for brains." Mikey retorted.

"I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but Mikey has a point. What were ya thinkin' Don?" Raph asked, standing and making his way to his brothers.

"Look, I'm sorry alright? I didn't think and that was the problem. I blame lack of sleep, stupid humans who can't operate their own computers, and a lack of coffee." Don defended.

The other three turtles rolled their eyes.

"Yeah well, don't let it happen again alright? Or next time I'll be the one to shoot ya." Raph threatened.

"Don't listen to him Donnie, he's all talk." Mikey said, then ducked out of the way from Raph's hand as he tried to smack the back of his head.

Mikey laughed. "Too slow Raph. Maybe you should let me shoot Donnie if he does it again, your reflexes are gotten slower in your old age."

"Old?!" Raph demanded with a growl.

"You know, they say your hearing is the first to go in old age." Mikey taunted.

"I'll show ya old ya little punk! C'mere!" And with that Raph was chasing his younger brother out of the lab. Leo and Donnie laughed as they heard Mikey continue to taunt their hotheaded brother.

"You okay?" Leo asked.

"Yeah Leo, I'm okay. Just in some pain…and getting tired too."

"Go to sleep little brother. I'll let Splinter know you're doing okay." Leo said.

"Thanks Leo…" Donnie's eyes slid close and his breathing soon reached a steady patter of rising and falling. Leo patted his younger brother's head, grateful for the sound of his steady breathing.

Leo smiled at his sleeping brother. "Glad you're okay Donnie."


End file.
